Tens of thousands of seabirds ‘at risk from proposed wind farm'

Telegraph

30-04-2025

Building one of the world's biggest offshore wind farms on Scotland's east coast would kill and displace an estimated 31,000 seabirds, according to wildlife charities.
Kittiwakes, gannets and herring gulls would be most affected, according to an impact assessment for the proposed 307-turbine scheme at Berwick Bank in the Firth of Forth.
Scottish ministers are being urged by five charities, including RSPB Scotland, to reject plans submitted by energy giant SSE Renewables, on the grounds that the wind farm would undermine efforts to protect nature.
The proposed site would cover an area four times the size of Edinburgh.
It would be located about 23 miles from seabird colonies at Bass Rock and St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve, cared for by The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) and home to about 45,000 seabirds during breeding season, including protected kittiwake, guillemot, razorbill and shag species.
Analysis carried out for SSE three years ago predicted hundreds of bird collisions a year, which the charities said could mean tens of thousands killed and displaced over the scheme's 35-year lifespan.
However, the SSE said its designs had been altered to minimise potential risks to seabirds, after consultation with stakeholders including RSPB and the Scottish Seabird Centre.
It is understood that the 31,000 bird deaths estimate is based on a worst-case predicted impact scenario produced in a report by SEE in December 2022.
However, a letter to John Swinney, the First Minister, calling for the application to be rejected has been signed by RSPB Scotland, NTS, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the Marine Conservation Society and the Scottish Seabird Centre.
Anne McCall, the director of RSPB Scotland, said Berwick Bank is one of the best places on earth for seabirds, which have been in significant decline.
'I've never seen a development with so much potential damage,' she added.
The conservation groups argue that technology has advanced significantly since Berwick Bank was conceived and that floating wind farms, further offshore, would be a better alternative.
SSE Renewables submitted a planning application to the Scottish government in late 2022 and is awaiting a decision.
It said it had conducted one of the largest known ornithology surveys in the world as part of the application process and that it disagreed strongly with the points put forward in the letter.
The company insisted that seabird densities were 'not exceptional' in the area and that the impact on seabirds would be among the lowest of any wind farm site.
Both those claims are disputed by RSPB Scotland.
Climate change is 'biggest threat'
Alex Meredith, the project director at SSE Renewables' Berwick Bank, said: 'Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is critical to ensuring we prevent the worst possible impacts of climate change which, according to the most recent expert assessment, is the biggest single threat to Scottish seabirds.
' The UN has already warned the world could warm by a massive 3.1C this century without greater action.
'Developing a world-leading offshore wind industry, with projects of the scale and ambition of Berwick Bank, is a key part of combating the catastrophic consequences of that.
'But the reality is that Berwick Bank has now been in planning for almost 30 months and whilst we will always continue to work constructively with stakeholders we must move forward urgently with action and delivery for the climate and our iconic Scottish seabirds.'
SSE said it is also committed to supporting seabirds and the productivity of key colonies around the coast of Scotland.
Diarmid Hearns, the interim director of conservation and policy at NTS, said: 'Climate change is one of the biggest threats to seabirds and offshore wind development is important to meet Scotland's climate ambitions, therefore we are fully supportive of it.
'However, installations must be located with sensitivity to the very habitats we're trying to protect from climate impacts – the proposed site for Berwick Bank is likely to cause high levels of ecological damage and severely impact the seabird colonies at St Abb's Head.'
The wind farm would generate 4.1 gigawatts of electricity which is enough to power about six million homes. The electricity would be brought to shore at Dunbar in East Lothian and Blyth in Northumberland.
The Scottish government said it would not be appropriate to comment on a live application.